First-Time Charm

The Sand Dollar Condominium Resort sets the stage for a memorable first visit to Bonaire
On my first visit to a destination, I don't like arriving at night because it's hard to form first impressions in the dark. But on my first trip to Bonaire, the sun had ended its day in a blaze of golden glory while I was in a plane suspended 30,000 feet above the Bahamas. It was pitch black when we touched down in Bonaire a few hours later. Following a short taxi ride from the airport and only a brief struggle with my luggage, I settled into a comfortable air-conditioned apartment with a full kitchen at the Sand Dollar Condominium Resort. Gazing from my second-floor balcony at the calm ocean on a moonless night, I wondered what Bonaire held in store for me as a diver. Some of the answers to my musings were waiting in my room. There was a guest book - a log of previous visitor's experiences - sitting on top of the stereo. (Wait a second, what kind of resort includes a stereo and dozens of cassettes in the guest rooms?) But back to the fascinating guest book. It contained entries dating back more than a decade from guests who had clearly enjoyed idyllic Bonaire dive vacations. Some of the entries were only a paragraph or two, others went on for several pages and included detailed descriptions of fish species and marine life that were encountered at specific dive sites. It was nearly midnight before I forced myself to put down this endearing treasure trove of Bonaire dive stories. FULL O'FISH The sun was shining on the island's sparkling coastline and lush hills when I awoke. Sipping a freshly brewed cup of coffee, I checked over my gear while listening to airy Celtic music on the stereo. Sometimes it's the small things, but the guest book and stereo helped set the stage for a day of peaceful dives spent exploring Bonaire's undulating underwater slopes. It seems like almost every imaginable fish from the Caribbean is on display in Bonaire. Sand Dollar is especially lucky to be just yards from Bari Reef, where 278 species have been counted by volunteers from the Reef Environment Education Foundation (REEF). This is the highest count that the group has ever recorded at a single site in the entire greater Caribbean. Boat trips to dive sites around Bonaire and the nearby island Klein Bonaire are easy to arrange at Sand Dollar Dive and Photo, the resort's full-service PADI 5-Star IDC facility. Its staff includes two naturalists who lead popular nature field trips and answer divers' fish-identification questions. Sand Dollar Dive and Photo also specializes in kayaks and mountain bikes. A full line of each is available for rental, as well as personalized instruction. NEW AMENTIESThe Sand Dollar Condominium Resort has 75 privately owned vacation apartments available to divers. New this summer is the succinctly named Sand Dollar Pool Terrace Restaurant and Sports Bar. It replaces the resort's oceanfront eatery that washed into the sea 18 months ago when high waves from a rare passing hurricane hit the island. The waves also washed out the dive operation's dock. Since then, divers have taken a short van ride to a nearby marina to board Sand Dollar's dive boats. Plans call for a new dock to be installed this summer. The resort and dive center provide a free Kids Club, for children between the ages of 3 and 6, that includes water activities and games. Older kids can take part in educational marine biology programs, or get into the water with the Bubblemaker program or SASY dive experience. My first visit to Bonaire surpassed expectations, and a lot of the credit goes to the resort's friendly and efficient staff. Before dashing off to the airport during my last morning on the island, I spent 15 minutes filling two pages in the guest book with some of my fondest memories from the trip. So you've read an overview of my first Bonaire trip. Now you need to go to the Sand Dollar Condominium Resort yourself to read the guest book to find out all about what awaits you underwater. For more information and reservations, click on the home page below. For general information about Bonaire, click on the home page below.